Reborn NFC West a Challenge the St. Louis Rams Need to Overcome

Evaluating a team based on its rivals in the preseason can be a difficult process even for the best prognosticator.

However, when one looks at the NFC West division, there is little doubt that the division has improved in the offseason.  The question left is by how much.

The Arizona Cardinals must of course head the group. The defending Super Bowl finalists have not lost any key cog to their team so far. 

Probably the smartest moves they have made so far is to re-sign Kurt Warner and to not trade away Anquan Boldin.  

Boldin is a key for Larry Fitzgerald to remain the top receiver in the league. With his tough yards play, Boldin is the bulldozer to Fitzgerald's scalpel.

The Cardinals also have put a nice draft pick up by adding Chris Beanie Wells to the running back corp. Wells will probably back up starter Tim Hightower after the team drops Edgerrin James.

Meanwhile in the Bay Area, the San Fransisco 49ers have done the least of the Rams' rivals to improve.  The Niners selected Michael Crabtree in the first round, which in time should help their wide receivers.

After flirting briefly with Kurt Warner, the team did little else to improve. Mostly, Coach Mike Singletary is going through with an in-house group. 

The most improved team in the West is probably the Seattle Seahawks.

The end of the Mike Holmgren era in Seattle was not a good one. Injuries and bad play meant that the team spent the season as a cellar dweller.

So it was important for them to get better. In one respect, they did so just by getting healthy.

The additions of wide receiver Nate Burleson and quarter back Matt Hasselbeck will help.

The most important additions came through free agency and the draft.  To the surprise of a few, the Seahawks landed wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

The next major surprise was that Seattle were able to draft possibly the best player in the draft in linebacker Aaron Curry.   

These two additions will certainly help on both sides of the ball in an immediate way.

For the Rams, it means they will to work hard to keep up with the two better teams in the division. However, their first goal is to make sure they beat the 49ers at least twice this season.

The Rams have not finished a season at .500 since 2004, when they last swept the 49ers.  So it is an important step in the team's progression to show they can take care of their rival.

If the Rams are to make any progress this season, they will have to be able to win at least one game from the Cardinals and Seahawks. 

Winning the home games would certainly help if the Rams are to challenge for the title of the division or at least a playoff spot. 

This difficult road is not made easier by the additions on the two teams.  But that is something the team will just have to adjust to and deal with.